Riding on the success of models like Vitara Brezza, Ertiga and S-Cross, Maruti Suzuki's sale of utility vehicles reached 253,759 units in 2017-18, growing 29.6 per cent over previous year sales of 195,741 units.

According to people in the know, the company is working on a plan to produce 1.90-1.94 million units for the next financial year, which would be a growth of 10 percent. At this pace, Maruti Suzuki is likely to attain 2 million output target almost a year ahead of plan.

​​This comes as a surprise to the industry as Rakesh was recently elevated to the position of Directo Sales and Marketing which was the third promotion for him in six years of his tenure in the company.